Speculation
by Megwithacapital
Summary: How scenes from the Obernewtyn Chronicles might have played out, if they were written according to my penchant for dramatic moments. Also scenes are never seen as we follow Elspeth's point of view.
1. So that is the way of it then

A/N: As the incredibly badly written summary said, this is just me speculating on how scenes that Elspeth never saw may have played out. Let's face it, first person point of view neglects what must have been some great moments: Daffyd telling Obernewtyn that Elspeth was dead, Rushton realising that Dameon was in love with Elspeth – the list goes on. And I will also add in some scenes that would never ever have happened in a million years, unless the OberChrons were written with a cross between tabloid sensationalism and pantomime drama. Because who doesn't love that kind of thing, really?

_Louis looked at me knowingly. 'So that is the way of it then' he said. 'That gypsy Swallow.'_

Louis picked up the metal rod and poked at the fire, grunting as the coals fell against each other. Javo's voice boomed out from behind him. 'Will you stop your meddling, old man! Leave the fire be.'

Louis laughed, settling more comfortably into his chair before the flames. 'Ye'll not strike at me like I'm one of your lads, I ken. The fire had need of it' He looked up at the head cook as he approached the fire, a smile fleeting across his face.

'You're too big to strike,' Javo muttered, 'and Lud knows you're most likely to hit me back.' He settled into the chair beside Louis, passing a mug of hot tea to the other man. 'Besides, i have eno-' His sentence was interrupted as one of the side doors slammed open to reveal Ceirwan, striding into the kitchen with an exasperated shake of his head. Seeing the two men by the fire, he moved over to them and began to speak quickly, his accent thickening in his agitation. 'Javo, do ye have any porridge left from firs' meal? Th' Guildmistress has nowt eaten anythin', an she is mean' to ride to th' caves today.'

The cook grunted and rose ponderously to his feet, then moved to a nearby bench and began pulling drawers open, muttering under his breath all the while. Louis cocked an eye at the Farseeker guilden, who was running a hand through his hair and moving his feet restlessly. 'Th' lass is keepin' hersel' busy, then?' he asked, sipping from his mug with a queer light in his eyes.

Ceirwan sighed and seemed to calm a little. 'She is always busy,' he replied slowly. 'At leas' before I could see that she ate properly, but now...what with Rushton...they're nowt...' he stopped suddenly and blushed, seeming to remember that he spoke to one of the Master of Obernewtyn's oldest friends. Louis' mouth was open to reply when Javo reappeared, thrusting a tray into the guilden's hands. 'See that she eats it this time. She needs to be careful of herself, with all that is happening lately', he said, his gruff tone failing to disguise the warmth that lay under his words.

As Ceirwan left the kitchen Javo sighed. 'The Guildmistress needs someone to care for her, though I'd never say it to her face. It is fortunate she has Ceirwan to run and see to her needs, else she'd likely forget to eat at all, the skinny thing' He paused, and slid a troubled look at Louis. 'Especially since Rushton seems unwilling to be anywhere near her.'

The other man ignored the probing remark, spitting into the fire as he replied. 'Elspeth has nowt the faintest need fer someone to fetch fer her like a brainless hen. She's the most independent lass I ken.'

'I hold her abilities in the highest regard, physically and mentally, as well you know,' Javo rumbed. 'But it took such a time for her to plight her troth to Rushton, and now they seem to be estranged. I fear she is very unhappy now, poor woman.'

'Poor woman!' Louis exploded. 'Bah! Ye'd do better t' save yer pity for th' Master o' Obernewtyn, nowt that cold fish. If she were truly hurting she'd ha done more for him, an she'd nowt have let such a rift grow.'

Javo shifted in his chair, taken aback by the old man's ferocity. 'That's hardly fair Louis,' he said uncomfortably. 'Any fool could see that the Guildmistress does try to reach him. Every meal the two of them are present the rest of us are in agony watching her try to behave normally, and him as hard as rock with every word and look.'

Louis grunted, but seemed to have lost some of his antagonism as he stared into the fire. 'Well, with all her fine and mighty powers, she has nowt helped him when he has the need of it. Ye can call it equal blame as much ye like, but our Master suffers an she ha nowt the courage or the will to save him. She mun ha done something bad, or he would nowt treat her so. If ever a man were in love, it were Rushton Seraphim, an ye ken that only losing tha' love would make him so hard.'

'Something bad! The Guildmistress? She's so Talented as to be legendary for the young ones, and none could ever find fault with her courage or loyalty,' Javo growled, glaring at his friend. 'How can you think she would harm Rushton when all know the depth of love between them?'

'Calm down, man, or I'll talk to someone wi' more sense, said Louis grumpily. 'Tis my ken that she tried to shove inside his mind, fer ye mun ken how often she does that. Shove where she is nowt wanted, and fix the problems of every soul except her own. Ever since she firs' came, she couldna keep her mind tae herself.'

'But if she did, it was out of love,' Javo objected.

'Out o' conceit, ye mean!' growled Louis. 'Th' impatien' fool. She invaded his mind, or ha said she will nowt bind herself to him any longer. Th' only other cause could be that she ha taken another man, but ye ken that no man here would take her for himself, nowt when she is bound to the Master of Obernewtyn.'

Javo turned his head back to the fire, his thoughts disturbed. 'Unless the man were not a Misfit. She has been on enough missions to the Lowlands to know a surfeit of them, tis true. A rebel, perhaps, or that gypsy who helped us so much. Swallow, his name was. I have heard he treats her with much courtesy.' The cook stared into the flames, mulling over these new ideas. 'You do not truly think she would do that, do you?'

'Well, tis true tha' I have niver understood all that Elspeth does,' Louis said complacently, happy to have won a concession from the other man. 'But somethin' has turned them agin each other, and I dinna ken that there will be peace until it is fixed.'


	2. How the Reunion Scene Should Have Gone

How The Reunion Scene Should Have Gone

if Rushton wasn't being such a prat, and Gilbert hadn't turned into a libertine, and Swallow was on the West Coast and in the mood to do some mischief.

_Suddenly one of Gwynedd's rebels gave an exclamation and strode around the fire to me. 'Can it be Elaria?' he asked incredulously. _

_I gaped, for it was Gilbert, the handsome red-haired armsman whom I had met when I had been a prisoner of Henry Druid's _

'Gilbert?' I whispered, stunned at another face from my past. Would there ever be an end to the intricacies of fate within my life? He stared at me intensely, equally amazed, and I remembered that he had thought me dead. I blushed.

'Elaria?' asked Meritt. 'It has been a long time since you travelled as a gypsy, Elspeth.'

'Elaria?' Gilbert asked quietly. 'Elspeth? Is that your true name?'

'Yes. I am not truly a gypsy, as you see... I am a Misfit.' I waited to see disgust on the face of a man I had thought a friend, remembering how everyone in the Druid encampment shared their leader's hatred of abnormalities. But instead of shunning me, Gilbert laughed and swept me into his embrace, swinging me around and kissing me full on the lips when he finally put me down. 'Elspeth, Elspeth,' he whispered against my ear as he held me so tightly that I couldn't move.

Before I could recover from the shock enough to give him a mental shove, he jerked away from me and the unexpected movement sent me sprawling to my knees. Distantly I heard a dull crunch, and then Meritt was there, helping me to stand. She was careful to avoid looking at me and to keep her shield strong; I wondered distractedly what she must think of all this as I turned around to give Gilbert a piece of my mind. What had he been thinking? We had not been lovers in the Druid's camp, and he had never said anything to suggest that he wanted it to be otherwise, though Daffyd had told me he suspected the armsman had had some depth of feeling for me.

Looking for Gilbert, I discovered why he had jerked away and what the strange noise had been: Gilbert lay sprawled on the ground clutching his face while Rushton stood over him, breathing heavily and restrained by Brydda and Dardelan. Already uncomfortable with the situation, I felt my face flame as I realised what Rushton must have thought – what they all must think.

'Rushton,' I croaked, my voice breaking in mortification. 'Rushton. Leave him. Truly, I am sorry, this is not ...I never...'

Rushton turned to me and the murderous light in his eyes eased somewhat, though his face remained dark. 'Are you well?' he asked, shaking off the rebels and moving towards me. 'Did he hurt you?'

'No, no. I don't know why...' I trailed off as Gilbert struggled to his feet. He glared at Rushton, blood pouring between his fingers. 'Who the hell are you?' he demanded thickly.

Rushton put an arm around me and drew me behind him, glowering fiercely. 'I am Elspeth's betrothed.'

'Betrothed?' Gilbert's face was a mixture of shock and pain and anger, and I composed myself so that I could better prevent the catastrophe that appeared to be unfolding. Dardelan spoke first, however, his soothing voice suggesting that the two men separate, and that we discuss this in a cooler frame of mind. But Gilbert refused to be placated, wrenching free from Brydda's restraining hand and moving towards Rushton and I. 'I can't wait until later,' he said sharply. 'I've waited years for this. Tell me Elspeth, is he truly your betrothed?' I nodded wordlessly, struck by the longing on the armsman's face.

'But you cannot love him!' he exploded. 'No, Elspeth, think of me. I know it has been years since we met, and now you are full grown to a beautiful woman,' – here Rushton jerked convulsively and I grabbed his arm – 'but I have never forgotten you. I have thought of you every day and only wondered what would have happened if you had not disappeared –'

'Enough!' Rushton roared. 'Elspeth, do you have a relationship with this man? Do you care for him?' he demanded.

I gathered my wits, horrified at how inactive shock had rendered me. 'Yes, I mean, we were friends in the Druid's camp but we never... there was no...understanding between us.'

'Elspeth-' Gilbert pleaded, but Rushton moved toward him threateningly.

'No,' he said, in the deathly quiet voice that all at Obernewtyn knew was more dangerous than any shouting could be. 'No. My betrothed is a woman of far greater Talent and courage than any man could dream for, and her many brushes with death in her determination to do as she sees is right have caused me so much fear and self-doubt that I know I cannot be worthy of her. Then, in these past sevendays I have had to send Elspeth knowingly into danger, to follow her in terror of what may have happened, and then to hear of her capture and abuse and kidnapping and damn near torture. I have feared for my very sanity when I heard of her likely death, if not worse, at the hands of the Herders. I have waited and worried and done all I could to hear news of her, only to find that after bringing about the downfall of the Faction she prevented a deadly plague by travelling to the West Coast on the back of a shipfish and after all of that _I will be damned_ if I am going to let you hurt her or trouble her or take her away from me, _do you understand_?' There was a deathly silence in the aftermath of Rushton's speech as all watched the armsman and the Master of Obernewtyn glaring at each other, as I stood behind Rushton and clutched his arm to hold him back.

Gilbert's voice broke the calm, as deadly and menacing as the Bridlane howling on a winter's night in the high mountains. 'Then be dammed. For I will not let this opportunity pass.'

He lunged at Rushton and the momentum sent the two men crashing to the ground. I stumbled backwards, horrified, and could only stare as they rolled around, grappling with each other, each trying to gain the upper hand. Harsh noises rose into the night air, grunts and obscenities and the occasional dull awful crunch of flesh connecting with flesh. I heard Brydda swearing behind me, cursing under his breath with words that at any other time I would have been astonished to hear coming from the controlled and purposeful rebel. As it was they spurred me into action and, cursing my own stupidity in standing around gaping like a loon, I ran forward to where Rushton and Gilbert were battering away at each other. Rushton reared back as I reached them, only to sink his fist into Gilbert's stomach and jerk forward as the armsman roared and bucked wildly.

'Rushton!' I gasped, my voice hoarse with panic as I reached out to pull at them. 'Rushton! Gilbert! Stop it, you fools, I –' The wind was knocked out of me suddenly and I sprawled backwards, landing heavily on the hard earth. Silhouetted against the firelight I saw that Gilbert had managed to manouever to the top and had wrapped his hands around Rushton's throat; I had probably been hit by his flailing limbs as the two men rolled.

Suddenly Gilbert fell backward with a heavy grunt, and I saw that Rushton had used his legs to push the other man away in a movement similar to those the coercers used in their training. Both men moved quickly back to a crouching stance, but before I could regain my own feet a third figure leapt into the tableau. The newcomer seized Gilbert in a strong hold across his shoulders while flinging up the other arm to ward off Rushton, who had sprung forward to continue the fight.

'Hold, men!' the third figure cried commandingly. Rushton and Gilbert were startled into pausing, and I saw that the newcomer was none other than the gypsy Swallow. I should have guessed it by the ease with which he held the broad-shouldered ex-armsman ; despite the apparent effortlessness of the grip, Gilbert was unable to free himself. Swallow spared me a fleeting glance, and I caught amusement in that fire-lit gaze. His voice returning to its usual polished tones, he continued speaking.

'I take no issue with your quarrel, but I must protest when your brawling harms a woman. Particularly this woman, who deserves special attention and who I doubt wants the two of you wrestling over her like a pair of dogs in a pen.' I saw that Swallow's mocking anger had reached whatever battle haze Rushton was under, as he turned towards me with concern on his face. Gilbert's face, however, displayed nothing but an angry flush as he demanded aggressively who Swallow was, to speak for me with such arrogance.

Swallow smiled lazily, and as I saw the mishevious glint in his eyes I was seized by a sudden dread of what he might say, what revelations he might make. The irrational fear that he would expose my secret quest broke through the shock that had lain heavily upon me and rendered me inactive, and I interrupted hastily. 'Gilbert, it doesn't matter. Calm down and we will eat and talk and...' I paused, not knowing quite what to say to soothe the tensions between the men. I had never thought that a situation such as this would ever occur, and now that it had I was stunned by the reactions of all involved, not least the other misfits and rebels who had made no further move to interfere but rather watched the unfolding events with interest. Brydda and Dardelan particularly were watching with shrewd eyes, and I was dismayed to think of what they must be concluding from all of this.

Swallow spoke again, however, before I could finish my sentence. 'Hush, Elaria,' he chided me. 'I think it fair to reply to the lout's question, if for no other reason than that answering honestly will be a novelty for you.' His voice was rich with suppressed amusement, and I was viciously annoyed that he could take pleasure from seeing me so discomfited.

'As to who I am,' he continued, answering Gilbert's query, 'I am one who knows what neither of you will never know; I know Elaria's secrets, and I know her value, and I know that it is my duty to protect her from any harm.'

From the corner of my eye I saw Rushton start violently, and I remembered how deeply he felt the difference of Talent between us. When he spoke, the suppressed anger in his tone was unable to hide the agony I could see in his eyes, and it felt like my heart was twisting in my chest. He icily informed Swallow that he needed no self-important gypsy to look after his betrothed, but I knew that most of his anger must stem from the suggestion that I trusted another man more than I did him.

'Really', Swallow drawled with an eyebrow raised. 'How can you protect her if you do not know the danger she faces? The secrets she possesses? Or perhaps I am mistaken, and since the last time we met she has confided in you as she does in her horse and -' He broke off as Rushton strode forward and shoved him in the chest, pushing their faces close together and all but growling at the gypsy in his rage. The two men began circling each other, Gilbert dragged along with Swallow, until the armsman pulled backwards suddenly and broke free. 'What secrets do you speak of? What intimacies?' he demanded, his face ugly, and I watched in alarm as he pulled from his pocket something that glinted in the firelight, and wrapped it around his knuckles. I stopped breathing, aware that Swallow's answer could shatter the calm that Obernewtyn held for me with only a few phrases; phrases that would inevitably lead to a cacophony of questions which I could not answer. There was no way that I could coerce the situation into a more manageable area; aside from my ethical objections, Swallow's shield was too strong and in any event the three of them had created a sort of group-mind, a consciousness entirely focused on aggression and masculine tempers that I could find no way of breaching.

Swallow's smile turned dangerous as he assumed a loose fighting stance and the three men eyed each other warily. The gypsy's voice dripped softly into the dangerous hush. 'Elaria and I share an intimacy beyond the physical, a joined destiny and a unity of purpose...' I cringed, knowing that any attempt on my behalf now would make it appear that I was hiding something. And still Swallow continued, damning me with his final words in a way that was no less damaging for all its unexpectedness. '... though it is true that the physical intimacy was also memorable.'

With a roar Gilbert surged forward, but to my surprise it was Rushton who held him back from attacking the gypsy. 'No, I will hear the truth,' he grunted, struggling to hold Gilbert's weight and finally shoving the other man away from him. 'Elspeth? Is what he says true? Have you...?' Rushton could not even bring himself to say the words, and I seethed with anger at Swallow for putting me in this position.

'Once,' I said quietly, with soft desperation, knowing that Rushton would sense any dishonesty on my part now, and that it would only inflame him further. I hurried on, my tone pleading, as I saw hurt and anguish and the terrible pain of abused trust seep into his eyes. 'He kissed me once. Wh-when we first met, it was only once, he kissed me but...it was only a kiss!' My last frantic words were lost as the two Landmen fell upon Swallow as one, brutalizing the gypsy and each other with an unquenchable fury. I watched helplessly, my mind a turmoil of guilt and anger and still-present shock, and wondered distractedly that I had ever wanted to tell Rushton about Swallow kissing me. Distantly I heard several of Gwynedd's armsmen calling odds to each other; Merritt and Blyss were talking quickly between themselves, and Dardelen expelled a heavy, frustrated sigh. I closed my eyes slowly, shutting out the sight of the three men struggling and cursing and striking each other before me. If only the aftermath were so easy to deal with – I could well imagine many of the questions that would be posed as soon as the fighting died down. It was not a conversation that I looked forward to.


End file.
